She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia, ca. 3400–2000 B.C.

Summary

The exhibition 'She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia' explores the pivotal role of women in ancient Mesopotamia, focusing on Enheduanna, the first known author and high priestess. It delves into her life and works, including her temple hymns and 'The Exaltation of Inanna,' which addressed personal struggles and abuse, resonating with contemporary issues. The exhibit, featuring unique Babylonian cylinder seals, aims to reinterpret the significance of women and literacy in early Mesopotamian society, highlighting Enheduanna's enduring legacy in world literature.

Takeaways

• 📜 The exhibition 'She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia' showcases the significant role of women in ancient Mesopotamia, particularly focusing on Enheduanna, the first known author in history.
• 🏺 The Morgan collection features a vast array of Babylonian cylinder seals, which provide insights into the life, history, and culture of early Mesopotamian society.
• 🌟 Enheduanna was a poet, priestess, and princess, appointed by her father, an Akkadian king, to be the high priestess of the moon god in the city of Ur.
• 📝 The advent of writing in the late fourth millennium B.C. facilitated the tracking of goods, cultural exchange, and a boom in interconnections and trade.
• 🔍 The exhibition reinterprets images of women and literacy from ancient Mesopotamia, shedding new light on their importance and influence.
• 🙏 Enheduanna's temple hymns aimed to unify the cultic traditions across the vast Mesopotamian landscape, promoting unity rather than division.
• 📖 'The Exaltation of Inanna' is Enheduanna's autobiographical work, detailing her struggles, including an account of abuse and her eventual salvation by the goddess Inanna.
• 📚 This work was so influential that it was one of the ten texts taught in scribal schools for centuries, highlighting its educational and cultural significance.
• 🌐 Enheduanna's writings, which include themes of insecurity, abuse, and the creative process, continue to resonate with contemporary audiences.
• 💡 Learning about Enheduanna and her contributions to literature can provide valuable lessons for understanding and addressing current societal issues.

Q & A

What is the time period focused on in the exhibition 'She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia'?

The exhibition focuses on the third millennium B.C., which is over 5,000 years ago.

Who is Enheduanna and why is she significant in the exhibition?

Enheduanna is a poet, priestess, and princess, and is recognized as the first known author in history. She is the central figure of the exhibition.

What are Babylonian cylinder seals and how are they displayed in the exhibition?

Babylonian cylinder seals are engraved, small objects used to produce images and writing for high-level officials. The exhibition showcases Morgan's collection of these seals in a unique way.

What does the exhibition reveal about early Mesopotamian society through the cylinder seals?

The cylinder seals provide insights into the life, history, and culture of early Mesopotamian society.

Where is the geographical focus of the exhibition's narrative?

The exhibition's narrative is centered on the southern flood plains of modern-day Iraq, ancient Mesopotamia.

What was the significance of the invention of writing in the context of the exhibition?

The invention of writing allowed for tracking the flow of goods and facilitated cultural exchange, leading to a boom in interconnections, traveling, and importing of objects.

Who unified the Akkadian and Sumerian worlds into one empire, and what role did he appoint his daughter to?

An Akkadian king from the middle of Mesopotamia unified the Akkadian and Sumerian worlds into one empire, the first historic empire in world history. He appointed his daughter Enheduanna as the priestess of the moon god in the city of Ur.

How does the exhibition reinterpret the images of women and literacy from the past?

The exhibition reinterprets images of women and literacy by highlighting their essential roles and contributions in ancient Mesopotamia, shedding new light on their significance.

What was Enheduanna's mission with her temple hymns?

Enheduanna's mission with her temple hymns was to unify all the cultic traditions of the vast landscape, aiming to join people rather than separate them.

What is unique about 'The Exaltation of Inanna' in Enheduanna's body of work?

'It's the first time you have someone writing autobiographically, describing her personal travails, including abuse and her eventual salvation by the goddess Inanna.

Why is 'The Exaltation of Inanna' considered important in the history of literature?

'It was considered so important that it was one of the ten texts taught for hundreds of years in scribal schools to teach people how to write.

What are some of the themes Enheduanna wrote about that are still relevant today?

Enheduanna wrote about insecurities, abuse, and the creative process, equating the difficulties of creating a poem to giving birth, themes that resonate with contemporary audiences.